Hello from Stuart! I had a Sea Grape until Hurricane Frances uprooted her. I'd be a liar if I said I was really sad about losing that tree. (I admit I was a little sad, but recovered when I didn't have to contend with the weekly trimming or multitude of leaves that never decompose.) You couldn't pay me to replant a Sea Grape. A nice native tree that ranks well on the Hurricane list is the Gumbo Limbo. You can direct plant it and I'd be happy to provide a nice starter for you. (I'm looking for a good home before I trim.) Gumbo Limbos drop leaves, but only once a year and the leaves aren't the size of a plate. Ladybug, I've heard about the protected status and that the restrictions are on trimming, not just removal. However, that came from an unreliable source (handyman that turned out not-so-handy). Speaking of which, any recommendations on handymen in the Treasure Coast?

I have a sea grape hedge that is loaded with clusters of bright green grapes. I'd love to try my hand at sea grape jelly, but they are all as hard as a rock and they never ripen. Every year they put on fruit like crazy, but they all turn to a red/purple color and fall from the plant as a hard seed, never turning or softening into anything edible. Is it possible I have a non-edible variety? Is there such a thing? Any info would be helpful. Thanks :)

Sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera) is quite resistant to salt. It naturalizes in colonies along the ocean. The "what to do" is to drag out the phone book, look up arborists in the yellow pages and ask several to come by and evaluate your situation. You should have done this yesterday as it sounds like a significant tree you do not want to lose. Sea grape is generally known to be disease resistant. However, there are reported problems such as anthracnose infecting them. This needs treatment. Get a professional opinion. Please post back when you have a diagnosis as this is an interesting situation.

Here are a few Google results, from a search for 'Coccoloba uvifera germination', that you might want to check out: B&T World Seeds (instructions near bottom of page) eHow (not my idea of a reputable source, but maybe worth a look U of Fl Coop Ext (see table 1)